t  o-rD  P  'G— ' 


METHODISM  IN 
NORTH  AFRICA  AND 

EUROPE 


REPORT  OF  THE  CORRESPONDING 
SECRETARY,  A.  B.  LEONARD,  D.D.,  LL.D., 
TO  THE  BOARD  OF  FOREIGN  MISSIONS 
OF  THE  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH 


ii 


MISSION  ROOMS 
150  FIFTH  AVENUE 
NEW  YORK  CITY 


I 


PRINTED  OCTOBER,  1910 


METHODISM  IN  NORTH  AFRICA 


AND  EUROPE 


March  16,  1910,  I  sailed  from  New  York  for  Algiers,  Africa.  At 
the  Madeira  Islands,  just  off  the  city  of  Funchal,  the  good  ship  Celtic 
anchored  March  24,  where  she  remained  for  eight  hours,  giving  time 
to  go  ashore  and  look  into  our  mission  work  in  that  city,  which  is 
splendidly  located  on  a  mountain-side  sloping  down  to  the  sea.  I  was 
met  on  board  ship  by  our  missionaries,  Brothers  Smart  and  Ninde. 
The  city  has  a  population  of  about  50,000.  Our  mission  house  is 
situated  in  the  central  part  of  the  city,  fronting  on  a  public  garden, 
which  is  beautifully  adorned.  The  mission  house  has  twenty-four 
rooms,  affording  accommodations  for  church  services,  missionary’s 
residence,  school,  and  Seamen’s  Rest.  At  3  p.  m.  a  numerously  at¬ 
tended  special  service  was  held  in  the  chapel,  giving  an  opportunity  to 
form  some  idea  of  the  class  of  people  we  are  reaching.  They  were 
intelligent  and  appreciative. 

The  Madeira  Islands  furnish  an  excellent  health  resort  for  our 
missionaries  on  the  west  coast  of  Africa.  Besides  Funchal  there  are 
two  other  mission  centers  in  the  island,  but  too  far  away  to  be  visited, 
which  I  very  much  regretted. 

Algiers 

On  the  morning  of  March  30  I  landed  at  Algiers,  North  Africa. 
The  city  is  built  on  a  hillside  and  the  streets  are  winding.  The  houses 
rise  above  each  other  terrace-fashion,  giving  the  city  from  the  deck 
of  the  ship  a  splendid  setting.  Algeria  is  a  part  of  the  French  re¬ 
public.  The  provinces  are  Oran,  Algiers,  and  Constantine.  Each  has 
two  representatives  in  the  Chamber  of  Deputies  at  Paris.  Immediately 
after  the  Franco-Prussian  war  a  large  number  of  French  people  living 
in  Alsace  and  Lorraine,  the  French  provinces  that  were  taken  by  Ger¬ 
many,  immigrated  to  Algeria.  These  French  provinces  in  North  Africa 
contain  as  fine  farming  land  as  can  be  found  anywhere.  The  climate 
is  mild,  so  that  there  can  be  produced  crops  of  various  kinds  of 
cereals,  vegetables,  etc.,  throughout  the  year.  In  this  vast  territory 
there  are  probably  4,500,000  inhabitants.  The  French  republic  boasts 
of  its  liberty;  it  would  not  be  correct  to  say  religious  liberty,  for  it 
professes  to  know  nothing  about  religion.  The  Roman  Catholic 
Church  is  there,  and  so  are  the  Mohammedans ;  but  neither  has 


3 


1 


recognition  by  the  State.  France  affords  no  protection  to  any  religion 
as  such.  No  religion  of  any  kind  can  be  taught  in  the  schools.  Here 
is  a  babel  of  tongues.  The  French  language  is  dominant  in  business 
and  social  life,  but  various  other  languages  are  heard.  The  Kabyle, 
Moorish,  Italian,  Arabic,  and  English  are  all  spoken. 

It  was  my  privilege  to  be  present  at  the  organization  of  the  Quarterly 
Conference,  presided  over  by  Superintendent  E.  F.  Frease.  After  the 
business  of  the  Quarterly  Conference  was  completed  the  Mission  en¬ 
tered  upon  its  first  session  April  I,  1910.  The  first  business  transacted 
was  to  recommend  three  missionaries  to  home  Conferences  for  elec¬ 
tion  to  deacon’s  and  elder’s  orders.  The  names  of  these  missionaries 
were  cabled  to  the  respective  Conferences,  where  they  were  received 
on  trial  and  duly  elected. 

There  are  three  centers  in  the  Mission :  Algiers,  with  180, 000  in¬ 
habitants  ;  Constantine,  300  miles  to  the  southeast,  with  80,000  in¬ 
habitants;  and  Tunis,  300  miles  further  east,  with  a  population  of 
approximately  150,000.  The  Mission  in  North  Africa  is  remarkable 
for  its  linguistic  ability.  The  twenty  Christian  workers  speak  from 
two  to  five  languages  each.  On  a  social  occasion  hymns  were  sung 
in  English,  Spanish,  French,  German,  Arabic,  and  Kabyle.  The  ter¬ 
ritory  to  be  occupied  stretches  along  the  Mediterranean  from  Algiers 
to  Tunis,  a  distance  of  about  600  miles,  and  extends  inland  indefinitely. 
In  that  new  mission  we  are  facing  a  tremendous  problem,  but  it  is 
believed  that  it  is  not  impossible  of  solution.  We  are  greatly  handi¬ 
capped  for  want  of  proper  facilities  for  carrying  forward  our  work. 
We  do  not  own  a  foot  of  real  estate  nor  a  building.  What  is  needed 
more  than  all  else  is  the  erection  of  suitable  mission  buildings  in  the 
three  great  centers  named,  for  which  at  least  a  sum  of  $150,000  is 
necessary. 


Bulgaria 

Since  freeing  herself  from  the  galling  Turkish  yoke  which  Bulgaria 
had  worn  so  long  she  is  aspiring  to  a  larger  place  in  Balkan  and 
European  politics.  Her  capital  city,  Sophia,  is  growing  rapidly,  and 
now  has  a  population  of  100,000.  The  streets  are  being  paved.  An 
excellent  electric  street-car  service  has  been  installed.  In  some  parts 
of  the  country  modern  agricultural  implements  are  in  use,  and  the 
old  indescribable  tools  are  being  discarded.  The  territory  is  about 
equally  divided  by  the  Balkans,  a  range  of  mountains  running  nearly 
east  and  west,  while  the  country  as  a  whole  is  at  once  beautiful  and 
fertile.  Special  attention  is  being  given  to  a  free  public  school  system, 
and  school  facilities  of  excellent  quality  are  being  provided. 

In  Tirnova,  the  ancient  capital  of  the  country,  are  two  splendid 
gymnasiums,  one  for  boys  and  one  for  girls,  erected  by  the  government 
at  a  cost  of  $200,000,  with  a  total  attendance  of  about  1,800.  Parents 
who  are  able  to  do  so  are  required  to  pay  a  small  fee,  while  the  children 
of  the  poor  are  not  only  admitted  free  but  are  furnished  one  meal  a 


4 


day  without  cost.  There  is  already  a  strong  movement  in  favor  of 
separation  between  Church  and  State.  The  Greek  Orthodox  Church 
is  a  State  institution  and  is  supported  from  the  public  treasury. 
Disestablishment  in  France  is  powerfully  influencing  Bulgaria,  and  it  is 
not  improbable  that  separation  of  Church  and  State  may  come  in  the 
near  future.  Meanwhile  the  Holy  Scriptures  are  being  widely  circu¬ 
lated.  During  a  period  of  three  months  previous  to  my  visit  about 
20,000  copies  of  the  New  Testament  were  sold. 

The  Bulgaria  Conference  met  at  Tirnova  April  21.  During  recent 
years  there  has  been  a  slow  but  encouraging  growth.  There  are  seven¬ 
teen  ministers,  and  the  communicants  number  662,  a  gain  during  the 
past  year  of  60.  Sunday  school  scholars  number  755.  The  session  of 
the  Conference  attracted  the  attention  of  the  people  very  widely.  The 
church  edifice,  which  seats  200,  was  inadequate  to  accommodate  the 
people.  The  aisles  and  an  adjoining  lecture  room  were  crowded 
and  many  were  unable  to  gain  admission.  Several  priests  of  the 
Greek  Church  attended  the  devotional  services  and  business  sessions 
of  the  Conference,  and  some  of  them  gave  expression  to  their  deep 
interest  in  what  they  saw  and  heard.  Bulgaria  is  apparently  at  the 
dawn  of  a  better  day  politically  and  religiously  than  she  has  ever 
heretofore  enjoyed. 

On  my  way  from  Bulgaria  I  stopped  at 

Buda-Pestfi 

the  capital  of  Hungary,  which,  has  a  population  of  800,000  and  is 
splendidly  situated  on  both  sides  of  the  Danube.  Eight  years  ago  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was  founded  in  Hungary,  and  we  now 
have  eight  pastoral  charges,  constituting  a  district  of  the  North 
Germany  Conference.  Four  years  ago  our  work  was  opened  in 
Buda-Pesth,  where  we  now  have  two  congregations,  one  German 
and  one  Hungarian.  It  was  my  privilege  to  preach  on  a  week 
day  evening  at  a  joint  service  of  the  two  congregations,  and  I  was  in¬ 
terpreted  into  German  by  Pastor  Melle.  The  Hungarian  pastor  took 
notes  and  announced  that  on  the  following  Monday  evening  he 
would  give  his  people  the  substance  of  the  sermon  for  the  accom¬ 
modation  of  his  people  who  did  not  understand  German.  Hungary 
enjoys  religious  liberty,  though  there  are  several  State  Churches, 
viz.,  Roman  Catholic,  Lutheran,  Calvinist,  and  Hebrew.  The  Roman 
Catholic  Church  is  the  largest,  richest,  and  most  influential.  The 
bishops  hold  vast  tracts  of  land,  for  which  the  peasantry  pay  exor¬ 
bitant  rentals.  They  also  own  immense  properties  in  the  cities  and 
towns,  from  which  they  derive  large  revenues.  I  spent  a  Sabbath  at 

'  Vienna 

the  capital  of  Austria,  which  has  a  population  of  2,000,000,  and  is 
indeed  a  splendid  city.  It  is  built  on  both  sides  of  the  Danube,  which 
separates  it  into  two  unequal  parts.  It  is  generously  provided  with 

5 


parks  and  open  spaces  which  are  beautifully  ornamented  with  a 
great  variety  of  trees  and  a  profusion  of  flowers.  Here  is  St.. 
Stephen’s  Church,  of  pure  Gothic  architecture,  founded  in  the  fifteenth 
century,  and  the  greatest  in  Austria.  I  spent  an  hour  in  its  spacious 
auditorium  and  its  numerous  side  chapels.  Near  the  great  altar  is  a 
picture  of  the  Virgin  garlanded  with  flowers,  before  which  an  ever- 
changing  company  of  worshipers  were  bowed  and  many  candles  flamed. 
Many  kissed  the  glass  plate  that  covered  the  picture,  and  crossing 
themselves  went  their  way.  There  were  maidens  praying  that  they 
might  find  husbands,  young  men  that  they  might  find  wives,  and 
husbands  and  wives  were  praying  that  they  might  be  blessed  with 
children.  Looking  upon  these  devout  misled  worshipers  I  could  not 
suppress  the  question,  If  this  is  not  idolatry  what  is  it? 

Methodism  was  founded  in  Vienna  forty  years  ago  by  the  English 
Wesleyans  and  was  taken  over  by  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
in  1897.  Baroness  von  Langeneau  in  the  same  year  gave  a  fine 
building  to  our  Church,  which  is  eligibly  located.  It  provides  for 
fifteen  deaconesses,  a  commodious  chapel  for  church  services,  and 
several  apartments  which  are  rented  and  bring  in  a  considerable  in¬ 
come.  Our  Church  in  Austria  is  greatly  retarded  by  illiberal  laws. 
Only  churches  recognized  by  the  State  can  legally  hold  public  re¬ 
ligious  services.  Churches  so  recognized  are  the  Roman  Catholic, 
Lutheran,  Reformed,  and  Mohammedan.  Since  the  provinces  of 
Herzegovina  and  Bosnia,  which  are  largely  Mohammedan,  were 
forcibly  separated  from  Turkey  and  annexed  to  Austria  the  Moham¬ 
medan  religion  is  recognized  as  the  equal  in  the  legal  sense  of  the  other 
churches  named.  The  law.  allows  other  religious  services  to  be  held 
by  families  only,  behind  closed  doors.  We  have  now  three  Methodist 
Episcopal  churches  in  Vienna,  and  according  to  the  letter  of  the  law 
our  services  are  illegal.  Complaint  has  been  made  by  the  Roman 
Catholic  hierarchy,  who  demand  that  our  services  be  prohibited. 
Up  to  the  time  of  my  visit  no  decision  had  been  made.  Our  people 
claim  that  they  do  not  violate  the  spirit  of  the  law,  for  the  reason 
that  the  congregations  are  made  up  of  a  union  of  families  and  con¬ 
sist  of  only  specially  invited  worshipers.  On  the  doors  of  our  places 
of  worship  is  inscribed,  “Only  invited  persons  can  enter.”  But  they 
let  it  be  known  that  everybody  is  invited.  It  is  a  difficult  thing  to 
get  out  of  a  State  Church.  One  desiring  so  to  do  must  put  himself 
on  record  as  withdrawing  from  the  State  Church,  after  which  he  is 
classed  with  persons  who  have  no  religion.  The  only  easy  way  to 
o-et  out  of  the  State  Church  is  to  die,  and  even  after  death  Roman 
Catholic  priests  claim  to  control  the  destiny  of  the  people. 

Sabbath,  May  1st,  I  preached  in  our  First  Church,  Vienna,  to  a 
congregation  that  filled  our  commodious  chapel.  At  the  close  of  the 
sermon  the  Sacrament  of  the  Lord’s  Supper  was  celebrated.  Nearly 
every  person  present  participated,  and  a  more  impressive  communion 
service  it  has  not  been  my  privilege  to  witness. 

6 


Rome  and  the  Italy  Conference 

On  my  way  from  North  Africa  to  my  first  European  Conference  I 
spent  three  days  in  Rome,  just  at  the  time  when  the  excitement 
growing  out  of  the  Fairbanks-Roosevelt  incidents  was  at  its  highest. 
It  is  not  necessary  to  go  into  details  here  concerning  these  incidents, 
as  they  have  been  amply  reported  through  the  secular  and  religious 
press.  It  ought  to  be  said,  however,  that  these  incidents  have  brought 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Italy  under  the  limelight,  and 
have  given  it  a  position  not  heretofore  occupied.  The  charges  that 
have  been  made  against  our  work  in  Italy  are  absolutely  without 
foundation.  The  absurd  ravings  of  Archbishop  Ireland  concerning 
our  work  and  methods  can  deceive  only  people  who  lack  infor¬ 
mation  as  to  the  facts  in  the  case.  It  must  be  remembered  that 
a  large  number  of  the  people  of  Italy  are  thoroughly  and  forever 
alienated  from  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  and  that  reconciliation  is 
impossible.  The  Vatican  may  continue  to  tearfully  proclaim  its  affec¬ 
tion  for  its  dear  children  in  Italy,  but  they  only  sneer  at  its  pretensions. 
As  an  illustration  of  public  sentiment  in  Rome  toward  the  V atican 
it  is  only  necessary  to  call  attention  to  the  great  demonstration  made 
Feb.  17,  1910,  commemorating  the  martyrdom  of  Giordano  Bruno, 
when  50,000  people  marched  the  streets  of  the  city  displaying  banners 
inscribed,  “Down  with  Hierarchy,”  “Down  with  the  Vatican,”  “Down 
with  the  Pope,”  and  others  of  like  import.  The  monument  that 
marks  the  spot  where  Giordano  Bruno  was  burned  at  the  stake  by 
order  of  the  Pope  stands  as  a  silent  but  tremendous  protest  against 
the  whole  Vatican  system  which  is  the  same  in  spirit  now  that  it  was 
then.  That  the  Vatican  has  arrayed  itself  against  the  King  of  Italy 
the  whole  world  knows.  It  is  also  true  that  the  masses  of  the 
people  are  with  the  King  and  in  favor  of  the  unity  of  Italy.  The 
Pope  may  continue  to  regard  himself  as  a  prisoner  and  to  long  for 
the  time  when  he  shall  have  a  kingdom  all  his  own,  but  the  Italian 
people  have  decided  that  the  temporal  power  of  the  papacy  is  a 
thing  of  the  past.  The  breach  between  the  Vatican  and  the  people 
grows  wider  every  year  and  will  never  be  closed.  The  Fairbanks- 
Roosevelt  incidents  have  emphasized  this  breach,  which  has  now 
become  an  impassable  chasm.  Unless  Protestantism  comes  to  the 
rescue  of  the  Italians  they  will  become  a  nation  of  materialists  and 
atheists.  At  present  the  serious  minded  people  who  have  not  given 
up  their  faith  in  God,  although  they  have  lost  faith  in  the  Roman 
hierarchy,  are  turning  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  as  the 
leading  evangelistic  force  of  the  country.  That  the  Vatican  guns  are 
now  turned  upon  us  only  serves  to  strengthen  our  position.  It  seems 
to  have  been  a  special  Providence  that  directed  the  planting  of  our 
church  in  Italy  in  1873,  that  it  might  have  time  to  take  root  and 
be  prepared  for  the  struggle  that  has  recently  been  precipitated.  If 
Methodism  is  driven  from  Italy  or  fails  to  gird  itself  for  the  battle  now 
on,  the  cause  of  evangelical  Christianity  will  be  set  back  by  decades. 

7 


The  Italy  Conference  met  in  Florence,  which  has  a  population  of 
200,000,  May  4-9,  1910.  The  membership  of  the  Conference  num¬ 
bers  35  effective  Italian  ministers  and  3  Americans — a  total  of 
38.  The  statistics  show  the  whole  membership,  including  proba¬ 
tioners,  to  be  4,036,  which  is  a  gain  of  231  over  the  previous  year. 
The  growth  in  membership  of  our  church  in  Italy  is  slow  but  it 
moves  steadily  on. 

French  Mission 

Our  Mission  in  France  was  established  in  1907.  It  held  its  third 
annual  meeting  in  Lyon,  May  12-15,  and  proceeded  at  once  to 
organize  itself  into  a  mission  Conference  under  the  enabling  act 

adopted  by  the  General  Conference  in  1908.  The  whole  membership, 

including  probationers,  numbers  121,  Sunday  school  scholars  61. 
The  territory  at  present  occupied  lies  in  the  southeast  and  southern 
part  of  France.  We  have  not  entered  any  place  occupied  by  the 
Wesleyans.  It  must  be  admitted  that  the  Wesleyan  Methodist  Church 

In  France  has  not  been  aggressive.  It  has  been  at  work  for  fifty 

years,  and  it  has  a  membership  of  only  1,500.  The  president  of  their 
Conference  came  to  our  Conference  as  a  fraternal  messenger  and 
brought  brotherly  greetings  and  a  hearty  welcome.  The  principal 
points  occupied  up  to  date  by  our  preachers  are  Chambery,  Grenoble, 
Lyon,  Ville  Franche,  Toulon.  In  all  we  have  twelve  regular  preach¬ 
ing  places,  and  under  our  circuit  system  could  easily  occupy  as 
many  more  were  the  needed  facilities  available.  What  is  needed 
just  now  is  a  theological  training  school  to  prepare  young  men  for 
•our  ministry.  We  have  come  to  recognize  the  necessity  of  theo¬ 
logical  schools  in  America  and  should  be  deeply  impressed  with  their 
greater  need  in  Roman  Catholic  Europe.  Young  men  who  have  been 
reared  under  the  influence  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  and  have 
its  teachings  woven  into  the  warp  and  woof  of  their  intellectual  and 
moral  makeup,  need  not  only  spiritual  regeneration  but  also  biblical 
instruction  on  all  moral  and  religious  questions.  The  question  is 
sometimes  raised,  Why  plant  missions  in  France?  Is  not  France  a 
Christian  nation?  Yes,  and  No,  with  the  emphasis  on  No.  France 
is  religiously  stranded  and  is  in  danger  of  spiritual  shipwreck.  The 
people,  weary  of  being  offered  a  stone  when  they  needed  bread,  have 
on  a  tremendous  scale  repudiated  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  and 
those  who  have  not  become  atheists  and  materialists  have  largely 
ceased  to  be  in  any  true  sense  religious.  Breaking  away  from  the 
Papal  Church,  France  is  also  departing  more  widely  from  Christian 
morality  and  rushing  after  material  wealth  and  worldly  pleasure. 
That  the  political  life  of  France  has  taken  its  everlasting  departure 
from  the  Roman  Church  does  not  admit  of  doubt.  Every  election 
day  gives  additional  emphasis  to  that  fact.  The  church  is  being 
-wiped  off  the  political  slate  on  a  wide  scale.  Roman  Catholic  churches 
slimly  attended.  Recently  a  Roman  Catholic  paper  in  America 

8 


:are 


called  attention  to  the  small  attendance  upon  Protestant  churches.  That 
paper  might  very  properly  call  attention  to  the  almost  empty  Catholic 
churches  in  France.  The  few  who  attend  seldom  if  ever  hear  the  gospel. 
They  look  upon  and  listen  to  a  ritualistic  service  and  hear  instruction 
on  ecclesiastical  duties,  but  the  message  of  salvation  through 
Jesus  Christ  is  rarely  if  ever  proclaimed.  The  president  of  the  Wes¬ 
leyan  Conference,  in  his  address  to  the  Conference,  declared  that  of 
the  38,000,000  people  in  France,  35,000,000  have  never  heard  the  gospel 
appeal.  The  masses  who  have  broken  away  from  the  "Roman  Cath¬ 
olic  Church  are  destitute  of  vitalizing  spiritual  life.  The  Macedonian 
cry,  “Come  over  and  help  us,”  is  loud,  and  should  be  met  with  a 
prompt  response  from  American  Protestantism. 

Switzerland 

•The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was  founded  in  Switzerland  in 
1856.  At  first  and  for  many  years  our  people  struggled  against  the 
limitations  and  prejudices  that  always  prevail  in  a  country  where  a 
state  Church  exists.  Gradually  the  limitations  have  been  removed 
and  the  prejudices  have  given  way  until  at  present  religious  liberty 
and  freedom  of  worship  prevail.  The  Switzerland  Conference  met 
in  the  ancient  city  of  Basel  on  the  Rhine,  May  18-23.  The  business 
was  conducted  in  an  orderly  manner  and  with  a  dignity  that  com¬ 
mands  respect.  The  social  aspects  of  the  Conference  were  quite 
unique.  At  ten  a.  m.  tea  was  served  in  the  lecture  room;  at  1  p.  m., 
in  a  near-by  dining  hall,  a  generous  lunch,  which  was  interspersed 
with  singing  and  brief  addresses.  Here  the  Conference  choir  was  in 
evidence,  led  by  a  brother  whose  name  is  Lark — and  the  name  fits 
the  man.  Sunday  was  the  great  day  of  the  Conference.  The  church 
was  not  large  enough  to  accommodate  the  people,  and  a  public  hall 
was  secured  that  accommodates  2,000,  and  it  was  crowded  to  the 
limit.  At  the  afternoon  service  a  religious  concert  was  given,  the 
music  being  furnished  by  the  Conference  choir  and  by  church  choirs 
of  Basel  and  surrounding  towns.  The  music  was  interspersed  with 
brief  addresses  and  the  whole  service  was  deeply  spiritual.  Our 
Book  Concern  in  Zurich  is  more  prosperous  than  ever  before  and  is 
widely  disseminating  sound,  wholesome  religious  books  and  periodicals. 

South  Germany  Conference 

• 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was  founded  in  Germany  in  1849 
by  L.  S.  Jacoby,  D.D.,  who  preached  his  first  sermon  in  a  small  town 
about  twenty  miles  from  Bremen.  This  was  the  beginning  of  a  work 
that  has  spread  over  Germany  and  Switzerland.  In  1893  Germany 
was  divided  into  two  Conferences,  designated  as  the  North  Germany 
Conference  and  the  South  Germany  Conference.  The  session  of  the 
South  Germany  Conference  was  held  May  25-29  in  Freudenstadt  in 
the  Black  Forest,  a  town  of  about  5,000  inhabitants,  and  noted  as  a 
health  resort.  The  only  medicine  administered  is  pure,  invigorating 


9 


Black  Forest  air,  and  the  supply  is  inexhaustible.  It  is  said  to 
produce  remarkable  cures,  particularly  of  nervous  troubles.  For  this 
reason  it  is  an  ideal  place  for  a  Methodist  Conference,  as  nervous 
troubles  are  likely  to  be  aggravated  when  the  appointments  are  under 
consideration.  There  are  Conferences  in  America  which  would  find 
such  a  resort  desirable  for  their  annual  sessions. 

North  Germany  Conference 

The  North  Germany  Conference  met  in  Bremen  June  i -6.  Here 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was  planted  sixty-one  years  ago. 
On  visiting  the  place  one  very  naturally  recalls  the  heroic  services 
rendered  by  L.  S.  Jacoby,  D.D.,  Rev.  C.  H.  Doring,  Rev.  L.  Nip- 
pert,  Rev.  E.  Riemenschneider,  and  the  Rev.  H.  Nuelsen,  father  of 
Bishop  J.  L.  Nuelsen.  The  business  programs  of  the  fwo  German 
Conferences  are  substantially  the  same.  The  Missionary  Anniversary 
was  held  in  the  edifice  in  which  Dr.  Jacoby  preached  his  first  sermon 
in  Bremen.  The  hall,  which  accommodates  about  600  people,  was 
quite  full,  and  it  was  my  privilege  to  deliver  the  address  through  the 
brain  and  tongue  of  Rev.  Dr.  Junker,  the  president  of  our  Theo¬ 
logical  School  at  Frankfurt.  All  felt  that  they  were  on  historic 
ground.  The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  is  deeply  and  firmly 
rooted  in  Germany,  and  is  destined  to  exert  an  ever-widening  influ¬ 
ence  upon  the  moral  and  religious  life  of  the  Empire.  Our  Church 
has  long  since  passed  beyond  the  stage  of  experiment  in  Germany, 
and  is  now  recognized  as  a  permanent  and  potent  force.  There  are 
two  institutions,  one  in  North  Germany  Conference  and  the  other  in 
the  South  Germany  Conference,  that  deserve  special  mention  the 
Theological  School  at  Frankfurt  in  the  South  and  the  Methodist 
Publishing  House  at  Bremen  in  the  North.  The  former  educates 
and  trains  our  ministers  for  Germany  and  Switzerland.  But  for  this 
institution  we  would  not  have  the  intelligent,  educated,  and  well- 
trained  preachers  who  now  serve  our  churches  in  these  Conferences. 
The  latter  furnishes  our  preachers  and  people  with  religious  litera¬ 
ture,  is  growing  in  resources  and  usefulness,  and  it  is  an  important 
source  of  revenue  for  the  growing  work  in  Germany. 

Denmark 

On  my  way  from  Germany  to  Denmark  I  spent  a  day  and  a  night 
in  Copenhagen,  where  our  Church  was  established  in  1857  by  Rev. 
C.  Willerup.  In  1866,  through  the  generosity  of  Harold  Dollner,  a 
Danish  merchant  of  New  York  City,  St.  Mark  s  Church  in  Copen¬ 
hagen  was  erected.  This  church  is  still  the  center  of  a  large 
amount  of  religious  activity.  It  is  now  what  would  be  called  in 
America  a  downtown  church,  and  is  doing  an  important  work  under 
the  leadership  of  our  energetic  pastor,  Rev.  Anton  Bast.  Duiing 
the  winter  of  1909  and  1910  i3>7^8  meals  were  served  and  4)259 
homeless  men  found  shelter  at  night.  There  was  contributed  for  this 


10 


work  in  Copenhagen  the  sum  of  $5,7°°-  The  membeiship  of  the 
Church  is  about  four  hundred.  It  was  my  privilege  to  deliver  a 
missionary  address  in  this  church  on  a  week  evening  to  a  congregation 
estimated  by  the  pastor  at  400.  The  church  edifice  greatly  needs 
extensive  repairs  and  internal  reconstruction,  which  will  provide  foi 
apartments  to  be  rented,  and  by  so  doing  secure  a  greatly  needed 
income.  It  is  more  than  probable  that  a  proposition  for  the  needed 
improvements  will  be  brought  to  the  attention  of  this  Board  of 
Managers  at  an  early  day. 

The  Denmark  Conference  met  in  Vejle  June  9-12.  There  are  23 
ministerial  members  in  th.e  Conference,  and  it  is  expected  that  next 
year  there  will  be  at  least  25,  and  if  so  an  Annual  Conference  will  be 
organized.  The  attendance  of  the  people  at  the  Conference  sessions 
was  very  remarkable  and  on  the  occasions  of  anniversai  ies  the  house, 
which  accommodates  about  300  people,  was  altogether  inadequate. 
Here,  as  in  Switzerland  and  Germany,  the  growth  of  our  membership 
is  slow.  Many  people  attend  our  services  and  take  part  in  our  work 
who  have  not  severed  their  relation  with  the  State  Church.  What  is 
known  as  the  Inner  Mission  has  been  brought  into  existence  in  all 
these  countries  to  check  the  tendency  of  the  members  of  the  State 
Church  to  become  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
The  forms  of  worship  and  methods  of  work  are  substantially  the 
same  as  in  our  churches. 


Norway 

The  Norway  Conference  met  in  Haugesund  June  29  to  July  3.  The 
town  of  Haugesund  is  located  on  the  west  coast  of  Norway  and  has  a 
population  of  about  14,000.  It  can  be  reached  overland  only  by 
coaches  and  by  private  conveyances,  or  by  steamer  on  the  North  Sea. 
The  Conference  was  an  important  event  and  made  a  profound  im¬ 
pression.  Our  church,  a  frame  structure  which  accommodates  about 
200,  was  crowded  at  every  business  session.  The  evening  meetings 
were  held  in  a  hall  which  accommodates  600  and  was  far  too  small 
to  hold  all  who  desired  to  attend.  The  love  feast,  held  on  a  week 
evening,  in  some  respects  was  unlike  anything  I  have  ever  seen.  It 
began  at  7  p.  m.  and  continued  until  midnight  Some  of  the  most 
prominent  people  in  business  and  social  life  were  present,  among 
them  the  chief  magistrate  of  the  town.  There  were  delivered  during 
the  evening  eight  addresses  of  the  average  length  of  about  twenty 
minutes,  and  there  were  given  many  personal  experiences  of  the 
saving  power  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ.  There  were  songs  by  a  trio, 
by  a  chorus  choir  of  many  voices,  and  by  the  whole  congiegation, 
and  there  was  a  spiritual  fervor  in  it  all  that  reminded  me  of  scenes 
I  have  witnessed  in  days  gone  by  in  America  but  too  seldom  seen 
in  these  later  days.  At  about  10  o’clock  a  generous  meal  was  served 
to  all  the  people,  after  which  the  religious  services  were  continued 

until  the  midnight  hour. 


* 


IT 


The  Sabbath  was  a  great  day.  By  permission  of  the  King’s  Minister 
of  Religion  in  Christiania,  one  of  the  State  Churches,  which  accom¬ 
modates  1,000  people,  was  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  Conference 
for  the  morning  service,  the  first  instance  of  the  kind  in  Norway. 
Bishop  Burt  preached  to  a  congregation  that  packed  the  house,  while1 
many  were  unable  to  enter.  In  the  evening  he  preached  in  the 
State  Church  Cathedral  holding  3,000  people,  and  it  was  crowded. 
At  3  p.  m.  a  mass  temperance  meeting  was  held  in  a  public  park,., 
the  estimated  number  in  attendnce  being  5,000,  and  it  was  my 
privilege  to  deliver  an  address.  I  have  rarely  seen  more  intense 
interest  manifested  on  the  temperance  question.  Norway  is  alive  to 
the  evils  of  the  traffic  in  strong  drink  and  is  pushing  toward  the- 
goal  of  prohibition. 

Sweden 

Methodism  was  introduced  into  Sweden  in  1853.  In  1865  Dr.. 
Durbin  visited  the  Mission  and  advised  that  classes  be  organized. 
The  revival  spirit  prevailed  and  large  numbers  were  converted.  Bishop 
Kingsley,  who  started  on  his  never  completed  world-round  journey  in 
1868,  visited  Sweden  on  his  way  and  constituted  the  work  a  regular 
Mission.  Although  as  the  years  have  gone  by  the  government  has  be¬ 
come  increasingly  tolerant  our  progress  has  been  handicapped  in  many 
ways.  The  State  Church  claims  a  sort  of  religious  proprietorship 
over  every  Swedish  subject.  A  young  man  or  a  young  woman  who 
is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  cannot  be  a  teacher 
in  the  public  schools  of  the  kingdom.  There  came  to  my  knowledge- 
the  case  of  a  young  lady  teacher  in  the  public  schools  who  believes 
that  she  is  called  to  work  in  one  of  our  missions  in  Africa,  but  she 
does  not  identify  herself  with  our  Church  for  the  reason  that  by  so 
doing  she  would  at  once  lose  her  position  as  a  teacher.  She  will  re¬ 
main  a  member  of  the  State  Church  until  she  is  ready  to  go  to 
Africa,  then  resign  her  position,  unite  with  us,  and  take  her  ap¬ 
pointment  as  a  missionary.  Slowly  the  old  prejudices  are  yielding, 
and  the  time  will  come  when  they  will  wholly  pass  away. 

The  Sweden  Conference  met  at  Orebro,  July  6-1 1,  a  city  of  36,000 
inhabitants.  Nine  years  ago,  when  I  was  a  visitor,  the  Conference 
met  in  the  same  city.  During  these  years  a  very  great  advance  has 
been  made.  Then  our  people  were  worshiping  in  a  very  plain 
edifice  quite  inadequate  to  their  needs  and  in  an  inconvenient  location. 
Now  they  have  an  excellent  building  furnishing  adequate  facilities  for 
church  services  and  work,  with  additional  space  for  business  and 
residential  apartments,  centrally  located.  The  space  rented  furnishes 
an  income  equal  to  the  interest  on  the  loan  made  to  erect  the  build¬ 
ing,  with  a  considerable  balance  to  apply  annually  on  the  principal. 
When  the  debt  is  extinguished  the  rental  will  be  available  for  the 
erection  of  churches  in  the  city  and  the  surrounding  communities. 
The  auditorium  of  the  new  edifice  will  accommodate  700  or  8oo- 


12 


people,  and  there  are  other  rooms,  including  a  commodious  lecture- 
room.  The  ministerial  membership  of  the  Conference  is  125,  and  is 
the  strongest  numerically  of  our  European  Conferences.  During  the 
session  ten  young  men  were  admitted  on  trial,  six  of  whom  were 
regular  graduates  of  our  Theological  School  at  Upsala,  and  all  of  whom 
had  completed  prescribed  courses.  The  school  at  Upsala  deserves  spe¬ 
cial  notice.  It  was  commenced  in  Orebro  in  1874,  and  later  removed  to 
its  present  location,  where  it  has  been  for  several  years  under  the 
supervision  of  Rev.  K.  A.  Jansson,  upon  whom  the  Ohio  Wesleyan 
University,  at  its  recent  commencement,  very  worthily  conferred  the 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity.  During  the  session  the  Conference 
discussed  the  question  of  division  into  two  Annual  Conferences,  but 
by  a  large  majority  the  proposition  was  defeated.  And  yet  division 
cannot  be  very  long  deferred.  The  arguments  in  favor  of  the  divi¬ 
sion  are  strong.  First,  the  territory  is  too  large  to  be  covered 
by  one  Conference.  Second,  the  ministerial  and  lay  membership  is 
large  enough  to  make  two  numerically  respectable  bodies.  Third,  the 
expense  of  attending  the  annual  sessions  would  be  considerably  de¬ 
creased.  Fourth,  the  annual  sessions  could  be  held  in  smaller  towns 
than  is  now  possible.  Fifth,  more  men  would  be  brought  into  leader¬ 
ship.  Sixth,  the  territory  would  be  more  thoroughly  cultivated. 


Finland  and  Saint  Petersburg 

In  the  year  1802,  at  the  close  of  a  war  between  Russia  and  Sweden, 
Finland  became  a  grand  duchy  under  the  suzerainty  of  the  former. 
The  relation  of  the  two  countries  has  always  been  unsatisfactory. 
Under  the  original  agreement  Finland  was  largely  self-governing, 
having  its  own  parliament  and  managing  its  own  affairs.  The  upper 
branch  of  parliament  is  appointed  by  the  Grand  Duke  (the  Czar), 
while  the  lower  house  is  elected  by  the  people.  Women  have  the 
same  right  of  franchise  as  men,  and  are  eligible  to  seats  in  the  lower 
body.  The  recent  action  of  the  Douma  greatly  restricts  the  privi¬ 
leges  of  the  Finnish  parliament,  and  is  the  first  important  step  toward 
depriving  the  people  of  a  large  measure  of  the  self-government  they 
have  heretofore  enjoyed.  This  action  of  Russia  has  increased  the 
bitter  feeling  of  the  Finns,  but  they  have  no  redress  and  must  submit 
to  the  action  taken  by  the  Douma  and  approved  by  the  Czar.  The 
bitter  feeling  of  the  Finns  and  Swedes  toward  Russia  appeared  in 
the  Conference  when  St.  Petersburg  was  nominated  as  the  seat  of 
its  session  for  1911.  After  a  somewhat  intense  debate,  in  which  the 
action  of  the  Douma  was  sharply  criticised,  the  proposition  was  re¬ 
jected  by  a  large  majority. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was  organized  in  Finland  in  1883, 
and  in  1885  the  work  became  a  separate  district  of  the  Swedish 
Conference.  Subsequently  the  work  was  separated  from  Sweden  and 
became  a  separate  mission.  For  several  years  Finland  has  been  a 


13 


Mission  Conference  and  next  year  will  probably  become  an  Annual 
Conference.  The  Mission  Conference  met  in  St.  Michael,  Finland, 
July  14-17.  Our  people  have  secured  a  valuable  lot  with  a  frontage 
of  about  150  feet,  and  with  a  depth  almost  twice  as  great.  Ihe  building, 
occupying  the  entire  front  line,  has  been  reconstructed  on  the  inside 
so  as  to  provide  a  chapel  that  will  accommodate  200  people  and  also 
rooms  for  school  and  residence  purposes.  The  town  has  a  population 
of  about  4,000  and  is  typically  Finnish.  The  reports  of  the  Super¬ 
intendent  of  the  Mission,  Rev.  George  E.  Simons,  D.D.,  and  of  the 
District  Superintendents,  showed  encouraging  progress  on  all  lines. 
Five  languages  were  used:  Finnish,  Swedish,  English,  German,  and 
Russian.  The  minutes  were  recorded  in  Finnish  and  Swedish  and 
were  read  and  approved  in  both  languages.  Necessarily  the  trans¬ 
action  of  business  was  greatly  retarded  by  the  use  of  these  numerous 
languages.  During  the  next  quadrennium  the  Finnish  and  Swedish 
work  should  be  organized  into  two  separate  Conferences  covering 
the  same  territory. 

Helsingfors 

is  the  chief  city  of  Finland,  and  has  a  population  of  150,000,  about 
equally  divided  between  Finns  and  Swedes,  dhe  Swedes  have  an  ex¬ 
cellent  new  church  property,  splendidly  located  and  free  from  debt. 
An  adjoining  property,  upon  which  business  shops  are  erected,  car¬ 
ries  a  debt  of  about  $14,000,  which  is  annually  reduced  from  rentals, 
and  will  in  a  few  years  be  free  from  all  incumbrance.  Here  the 
Finns  have  a  fine  location,  with  a  neat  and  attractive  place  of  worship 
accommodating  200  people.  The  building  also  provides  residence  for 
the  pastor  and  rooms  for  social  and  religious  uses.  Unfortunately 
the  debt  is  large  and  greatly  burdens  the  congregation.  I  spent  a  Sab¬ 
bath  in  Helsingfors,  preaching  in  the  morning  to  the  Swedish  con¬ 
gregation  and  in  the  evening  to  the  Finnish  congregation.  A  more 
intelligent  and  devout  people  could  hardly  be  found  anywhere. 
Finnish  and  Swedish  preachers  are  wide  awake,  and  if  adequately 
supported  for  a  few  more  years  the  work  under  their  care  will  be 
largely  self-supporting. 

Russia 

Next  year,  by  authority  of  the  General  Conference,  the  work  in 
Finland  and  Russia  will  be  divided,  the  former  becoming  an  Annual 
Conference  and  the  latter  a  Mission.  The  vastness  of  the  Russian 
empire  is  simply  overwhelming.  Her  total  area  is  8,660,395  square 
miles.  In  Europe  her  area  is  about  2,000,000  square  miles.  Her  total 
population  is  estimated  at  136,000,000  to  160,000,000.  Of  these 
15,000,000  are  Mohammedans,  9,000,000  Roman  Catholics  (mostly 
Poles),  5,000,000  Jews,  6,000,000  Protestants,  and  the  balance  Ortho¬ 
dox  Greek.  About  thirty  nationalities  are  included.  The  State  Church 
is  Orthodox  Greek,  and  until  recently  no  one  could  renounce  his  creed 


14 


without  incurring  the  penalty  of  imprisonment.  While  foreigners 
entering  Russia  were  allowed  to  adhere  to  their  respective  religions, 
they  did  not  dare  to  attempt  a  propaganda  among  Russians.  By  the 
decree  of  the  Czar  considerable  liberty  is  now  permitted,  which  ac¬ 
counts  for  the  presence  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  the 
empire.  We  have  established  our  headquarters  in  St,  Petersburg,  and 
have  a  church  organization  with  130  members  and  probationers.  On  a 
week  day  evening  I  had  the  privilege  of  preaching  to  a  congregation 
of  about  150  people,  and  was  interpreted  into  German  and  Russian. 
What  is  most  needed  here  is  a  church  building,  providing  for  public 
worship,  social  services,  and  a  parsonage,  for  which  $100,000  is 
needed.  In  all  of  Europe  there  is  no  place  where  such  a  property  is  so 
greatly  needed.  The  hall  we  now  occupy  accommodates  only  about 
200,  and  is  wholly  inadequate.  Here  is  an  opportunity  for  some 
wealthy  Methodist  to  erect  a  memorial  which  will  at  once  commem¬ 
orate  some  worthy  name  and  supply  a  need,  the  importance  of  which 
cannot  be  overestimated.  Rev.  George  E.  Simons,  D.D.,  is  in  charge 
of  our  work  and  has  already  proved  himself  to  be  a  wise  and  efficient 
leader.  There  are  vast  numbers  of  people,  now  that  a  large  degree 
of  religious  liberty  is  allowed,  who  are  easily  approachable  and  who 
will  promptly  respond  to  evangelical  leadership.  There  is  probably 
no  country  nominally  Christian  where  there  are  such  possibilities  for 
an  aggressive  type  of  Protestantism  as  Russia. 


Finance 


Algiers  has  no  debts,  for  the  reason  that  we  own  no  property. 

In  Europe  property  values  and  debts  are  approximately  stated  in  the 
following  table : 


Value  of  Debt  on  Real 
Property.  Estate. 


North  Germany  . $1,140,783 

South  Germany  .  985,759 

Switzerland  .  766,269 

Norway  .  277,375 

Sweden  .  840,197 

Denmark  .  773, 561 

Finland  .  148,261 

Bulgaria  .  43,730 

Italy  .  405,000 


$57B5i9 

367,849 

289,947 

85,094 

352,199 

119,963 

60,003 


109,300 


Total 


$4,680,935  $1,955,874 


This  indebtedness  seems  at  first  sight  startling,  if  not  appalling. 
But  it  is  not  as  bad  as  it  seems.  By  inquiry  I  found  that  the  two 
Conferences  in  Germany  and  the  one  in  Switzerland  are  now  follow¬ 
ing  a  policy  which  promises  to  extinguish  their  debts  made  in  recent 
years.  They  have  been  erecting  buildings  which  provide  church  ac¬ 
commodations,  also  business  rooms  and  residential  apartments  that  are 


15 


rented  and  which  provide  for  interest  on  the  money  they  have  bor¬ 
rowed;  also  for  an  annual  reduction  of  the  indebtedness.  For  five 
years  they  have  made  no  property  debts  that  they  will  not  ulti¬ 
mately  pay  from  their  own  resources.  The  rate  of  interest  is  reason¬ 
able  and  the  payment  of  loans  certain.  The  whole  plan  is  based 
upon  business  principles  that  appear  to  be  safe  and  sound.  How¬ 
ever,  the  two  Conferences  in  Germany  and  the  Switzerland  Confer¬ 
ence  are  carrying  burdens  that  grew  out  of  the  earlier  financial 
policy  that  are  very  embarrassing  and  greatly  handicap  their  progress. 
The  debts  for  which  there  is  no  provision,  for  either  interest  or  prin¬ 
cipal,  aggregate  approximately  $130,000,  viz.,  North  Germany,  $50,000; 
South  Germany,  $50,000;  Switzerland,  $30,000.  The  debts  were 
created  through  a  series  of  years  by  the  erection  of  churches  and 
parsonages  without  any  provision  for  payment  except  from  the 
voluntary  gifts  of  the  people  and  the  grants  made  by  our  General 
Committee.  For  many  years  the  General  Committee  made  grants 
to  apply  on  property  debts,  conditioned  upon  the  raising  of  an  equal 
sum  by  the  Conferences.  But  the  policy  did  not  stop  the  growth  of 
their  debts,  for  the  reason  that  new  debts  were  annually  made  which 
were  larger  than  the  sums  paid  by  the  people  and  appropriations  made 
by  the  General  Committee.  When  I  visited  those  Conferences  nine 
years  ago  I  warned  them  against  that  policy,  a  warning  they  heeded, 
and  consequently  in  recent  years  they  have  been  following  the  plan 
above  described. 

At  each  of  the  ten  Conferences  in  Europe,  I  called  special  attention 
to  their  financial  condition  and  stated  that  they  could  not  presumably 
expect  an  increase  in  the  annual  appropriations,  and  that  in  the  near 
future  there  would  probably  be  a  decrease.  I  urged  them  to  apply 
something  annually  from  the  regular  appropriations  on  their  debts 
and  by  so  much  require  the  churches  to  furnish  more  for  the  support 
of  their  pastors.  To  this  they  demurred,  saying  that  the  support  of 
their  preachers  is  inadequate  now.  They  claimed  that  these  old 
debts  were  made  upon  the  advice  of  bishops  who  presided  over  their 
Conferences  and  they  were  assured  that  the  mother  church  would 
furnish  the  money  needed.  Having  acted  upon  this  advice  they 
think  that  their  claim  for  further  aid  is  well  founded.  My  judgment 
is  that  there  should  be  a  sum  set  apart  annually  to  be  applied  to  the 
payment  of  the  principal  of  these  debts,  they  to  be  required  to  pay 
the  interest  and  in  addition  a  sum  equal  to  the  appropriation  on  the 
principal.  Unless  some  such  policy  is  adopted  I  do  not  see  how 
these  debts  can  be  paid.  What  I  have  said  about  the  debts  in  Ger¬ 
many  and  Switzerland  will  apply  with  slight  modifications  to  the 
Scandinavian  and  Finland  Conferences. 

Bulgaria,  the  weakest  aud  smallest  Conference  in  the  list,  re¬ 
ports  no  property  debt. 

Italy  is  in  a  class  by  itself  and  requires  separate  treatment  Here 
there  is  but  comparatively  little  income  from  rentals;  consequently 

16 


principal,  interest,  taxes,  and  upkeep  must  be  largely  provided  from 
missionary  funds,  including  special  gifts.  The  debts  are  as  follows : 


Abanell  Chapel  .  $1,841 

Lausanne  Property  .  16,000 

Loan  from  Annuity  Fund .  1,500 

Montaldo  Chapel  and  Parsonage . . ...  2,133 

Perano  Chapel  and  Parsonage .  243 

Perugio  Chapel  and  Parsonage .  250 

Rome  Building  .  76,545 

San  Marzano  Chapel  and  Parsonage .  7,227 

Turin  Building — repairs,  etc .  1,742 

Various  property  debts .  5, 700 

Advances  made  by  Board  Jan.,  1910-May,  1910 .  20,380 


Total  . $i33,56i 


Dr.  N.  Walling  Clark  furnishes  the  following  statement  concerning 
the  Free  Church  property  turned  over  to  us  a  few  years  ago: — 

“The  Italian  Evangelical  Church,  or,  as  it  is  commonly  called,  the 
Free  Church  in  Italy,  is  regularly  incorporated  under  Italian  laws. 

“As  a  corporation  administering  trust  funds  for  benevolent  and 
religious  purposes,  the  Free  Church  Society  cannot  dispose  of  any  of 
its  property  without  the  consent  of  the  Minister  of  Grace  and  Justice. 

“When  it  was  agreed,  in  December,  1904,  that  there  should  be  a 
union  of  the  Free  Churches  with  the  two  branches  of  Methodism  in 
Italy,  a  formal  request  was  made  to  the  Minister  of  Grace  and 
Justice  for  permission  to  transfer  certain  properties  to  the  Board  of 
Foreign  Missions  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  A  favorable 
response  to  this  request  was  not  received  until  late  in  the  year  1906, 
and  on  December  8th  of  that  year  a  deed  of  transfer  was  duly 
signed  by  the  authorized  representatives  of  the  Free  Church  corpora¬ 
tion  and  by  the  Rev.  William  Burgess,  representing  the  Wesleyan 
Missionary  Society,  and  the  Rev.  Walling  Clark,  representing  the  Board 
of  Foreign  Missions  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.” 

By  this  deed  of  transfer  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  received 
properties  in  the  following  cities  and  towns,  having  a  valuation  which 
is  estimated  according  to  the  figures  quoted  in  the  list : 


City  or  Town.  Valuation. 

1.  Bassignana  .  $5,000 

2.  Leghorn  .  9,000 

3.  Pisa  . 6,000 

4.  Pontasserchio  .  3, 000 

5.  Udine  . 1 . .  8,000 

6.  Venice,  St.  Mark’s .  16,000 

7.  “  St.  M'argaret’s. . . .  11,000 


Total  estimated  value .  $58,000 


The  St.  Margaret’s  property  in  Venice  has  been  sold  by  order  of 
the  Board  for  the  amount  above  named,  and  of  the  proceeds  about 
$8,600  used  for  the  purchase  of  ground  for  the  erection  of  a  church 

17 


building  in  Milan.  The  St.  Mark’s  property  in  Venice  is  the  only  one 
of  those  received  from  the  Free  Church  which  had  any  incumbrance 
upon  it.  This  building  and  the  church  building  in  Milan,  which  went 
to  the  Wesleyan  Church,  are  together  mortgaged  for  Lso,ooo  ($10,000). 
It  is  agreed  that  this  mortgage  shall  be  paid  from  the  proceeds  of  the 
sale  or  expropriation  of  the  Ponte  St.  Angelo  property  in  Rome,  which, 
together  with  the  Florence  property,  is  still  held  by  the  Free  Church 
corporation. 

In  addition  to  the  mortgage  just  mentioned,  the  Free  Church  cor¬ 
poration  has  obligations  amounting  to  about  Li50,ooo  ($30,000).  These 
debts,  like  the  Milan-Venice  mortgage,  will  be  paid  when  the  Rome 
property  is  sold.  This  property  is  believed  to  be  worth  L300,000 
($60,000),  so  that  there  should  be  a  balance  of  about  $20,000,  after  all 
the  obligations  of  the  Free  Church  corporation  are  satisfied.  What¬ 
ever  balance  remains  will  be  equally  divided  between  the  two  Metho¬ 
dist  Missionary  Societies. 

It  has  not  yet  been  possible  to  dispose  of  the  Free  Church  property 
in  Rome  because  of  the  long  delay  in  securing,  first,  the  consent  of  the 
Minister  of  Grace  and  Justice  to  the  transfer  of  the  properties; 
second,  the  Royal  Decree  authorizing  the  two  Foreign  Missionary 
Societies  to  accept  these  properties,  such  a  decree  being  absolutely 
necessary  to  a  clear  title;  and,  third,  a  final  and  definite  answer  from 
the  Municipality  of  Rome  concerning  the  possible  expropriation  of  the 
St.  Angelo  property.  Each  of  these  processes  has  required  an  incredi¬ 
ble  amount  of  persistent  and  patient  work  on  the  part  of  the  repre¬ 
sentatives  of  the  two  Methodist  Societies.  At  one  time  the  Royal 
Decree  was  refused  by  the  action  of  the  Council  of  State,  and  it  was 
only  by  securing  the  aid  of  one  of  the  most  powerful  deputies  in 
Parliament,  that  we  finally  obtained  from  the  Minister  a  reversal  of 
the  decision  of  the  Supreme  Council. 

It  has  not  yet  been  possible  to  obtain  a  definite  answer  concerning 
the  expropriation  of  the  Rome  property.  The  city  authorities  appear 
to  delay  the  matter  because  of  uncertainty  as  to  the  rearrangement 
of  certain  streets  which  pass  the  property  on  three  sides.  We  are 
making  every  effort  to  have  the  question  settled  so  that  we  may 
realize  on  the  property,  pay  the  debts,  and  close  up  the  affairs  of  the 
Free  Church. 

It  will  be  readily  understood  that  in  adjusting  the  many  questions, 
legal  and  otherwise,  which  have  arisen  during  these  years,  it  has 
been  necessary  to  incur  considerable  expense.  The  total  amount  of 
this  is  about  Ls8,ooo,  of  which  about  145,000  is  due  to  our  bankers  in 
Rome.  Whenever  it  is  desired,  a  detailed  statement  of  these  expenses 
can  be  given.  This  debt  will  be  paid  from  the  funds  received  in  the 
final  settlement  of  the  Free  Church  corporation. 

In  every  Conference  I  urged  the  absolute  importance  of  larger 
self-support.  I  reminded  them  of  the  generous  sums  that  have  been 
gladly  sent  for  the  support  of  their  work  for  many  years — more  than 

18 


sixty  years  in  Germany  and  Switzerland,  and  fifty-seven  years  in 
Scandinavia.  I  called  their  attention  to  the  following  table : 

Appropriations  to  European  Conferences  from  the  Beginning 


Germany  and  Switzerland . $1,173, =537 

North  Germany  .  259,004 

South  Germany  . 269,215 

Scandinavia  .  236,369 

Denmark  and  Norway .  285,697 

Norway  .  Si5;727 

Denmark  .  401*014 

Sweden  .  855,893 

Switzerland  .  206,571 

Finland  and  St.  Petersburg . ■ .  110,632 

Bulgaria  . 552,260 

Italy  .  1,460,663 

France  .  11,654 


$6,438,236 

I  urged  that  after  so  many  years  and  the  reception  of  so  large  sums, 
by  the  Conferences  respectively  the  time  has  come  when  they  should 
think  of  themselves  more  as  givers  and  less  as  receivers;  that  they 
have  too  long  regarded  themselves  as  objects  of  benevolent  gifts 
rather  than  makers  of  gifts;  that  the  time  has  come  when  they  should 
think  of  themselves  as  a  part  of  the  great  Methodist  Episcopal  army 
battling  for  the  conquest  of  the  pagan  and  Mohammedan  world.  I 
urged  them  to  summon  their  laymen  to  the  battle  line.  Our  laymen 
in  all  our  European  Conferences  have  been  kept  in  the  background 
while  the  preachers  have  been  in  the  foreground.  Our  lay  brother, 
Ernest  Gideon  Bek,  of  the  South  Germany  Conference,  is  sounding 
a  note  loud  and  clear  on  this  question,  and  a  new  era  of  aggressiveness 
seems  about  to  dawn.  I  urged  further  that  a  Laymen’s  Movement, 
patterned  somewhat  after  the  Movement  in  America,  should  be  inaugu¬ 
rated,  and  the  suggestion  met  with  hearty  approval.  The  Methodist 
Brotherhood  in  America  should  reach  ou,t  a  helping  hand  to  their 
brothers  across  the  Atlantic. 

What  is  the  result  of  our  more  than  a  half-century  in  Europe? 
Well,  approximately  as  follows: 


Germany,  two  Conferences : 

Ministers  .  168 

Members  and  probationers . 24,089 

Sunday  school  scholars  and  teachers . 26,423 

Switzerland : 

Ministers  .  53 

Members  and  probationers .  9,419 

Sunday  school  scholars  and  teachers . 22,397 

Sweden : 

Ministers  . .  125 

Members  and  probationers . 17,582 

Sunday  school  scholars  and  teachers . 19,704 

19 


Norway : 

Ministers  . 

Members  and  probationers . 

Sunday  school  scholars  and  teachers... 

Denmark : 

Ministers  . •  ••• . 

Members  and  probationers . 

Sunday  school  scholars  and  teachers.  . 

Bulgaria : 

Ministers  . . . 

Members  and  probationers . 

Sunday  school  scholars  and  teachers 

Italy : 

Ministers  . 

Members  and  probationers . 

Sunday  school  scholars  and  teachers . . . 

Finland  and  St.  Petersburg: 

Ministers  . 

Members  and  probationers . 

Sunday  school  scholars  and  teachers... 

Totals : 

Ministers  . • . 

Members  and  probationers . 

Sunday  school  scholars  and  teachers... 

Value  of  property . 

Indebtedness  . 


50 

6.221 

7,600 


23 

3,699 

4,425 


17 

662 

568 


43 

4.036 

1,922 


18 

B339 

2,409 


. .  •  •  499 

•  •  •  .67,047 

•  •  •  .85,449 

$4,680,935 

1,955,874 


Equity  . $2,725,°6i 

It  may  be  said  that  the  growth  of  our  Church  in  Europe  has  been 
slow,  but  in  view  of  all  the  difficulties  encountered  it  is  a  wonder 
that  our  success  has  been  so  great.  The  statistics  do  not  tell  the 
whole  story  by  any  means.  PL  he  State  Churches  of  Germany,  Switzer¬ 
land,  and  Scandinavia  have  been  both  liberalized  and  spiritualized  by 
our  presence.  We  are  welcomed  now  where  in  the  eailier  days  our 
people  were  sorely  persecuted  and  our  ministers  mobbed  and  impris¬ 
oned.  Besides,  our  German,  Scandinavian,  and  Italian  Churches  in 
America  are  constantly  reinforced  by  Methodist  emigrants  from 
those  countries.  If  all  people  who  have  been  converted  in  our  churches 
were  enrolled  upon  our  records  our  numbers  would  be  double  if  not 
treble  what  they  are. 

I  cannot  close  this  report  without  paying  a  deserved  tribute  to 


Bishop  William  Burt 

who  has  now  completed  the  seventh  round  of  our  ten  European  Con¬ 
ferences.  On  the  round  completed  July  17th  it  was  my  privilege  to 
attend  each  Conference  and  to  enjoy  his  confidence  and  fellowship, 
and  I  take  special  pleasure  in  testifying  to  the  painstaking  care  and 


20 


efficiency  with  which  his  responsible  and  difficult  duties  have  been 
performed.  He  knows  the  work  in  all  its  details  and  he  knows  the 
men  one  by  one.  I  often  wondered  how  he  has  made  himself 
familiar  with  the  names  of  the  preachers.  Though  many  of  the  names 
are  unfamiliar  to  American  ears  and  difficult  to  pronounce  by  an 
American  tongue,  he  never  once  failed  to  recognize  any  brother  by 
name  who  addressed  him  as  chairman.  To  say  that  he  is  popular 
among  preachers  and  people  is  only  to  pay  a  richly  deserved  com¬ 
pliment  to  a  faithful  bishop  and  brother  beloved. 

Personal 

I  sailed  from  New  York  under  the  authorization  of  this  Board 
March  16th  and  returned  August  7th,  having  been  absent  four  months 
and  twenty  days.  During  that  time  I  attended  twelve  Conferences, 
beginning  with  Algiers  in  North  Africa,  and  ending  with  Saint  Michaels 
in  Finland,  including  the  World  Missionary  Conference  in  Edin¬ 
burgh.  I  have  traveled  about  20,000  miles,  delivered  forty-nine  ser¬ 
mons  and  addresses,  and  looked  after  a  great  many  business  interests. 
I  have  not  failed  to  meet  every  engagement,  and  have  not  been  ill  a 
moment  except  when  having  a  brief  tussle  with  Neptune  on  the 
North  Sea,  and  then  “won  out.”  Some  one  is  reported  to  have  said 
that  the  Corresponding  Secretary  has  been  enjoying  a  vacation  in 
Europe.  If  this  has  been  a  vacation  what  would  occupation  have 
been?  Everywhere  I  received  the  most  cordial  welcome  from 
preachers  and  people,  which  was  ample  compensation  for  the  fatigue 
of  travel  endured  and  the  labor  performed. 


21 


. 


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